Cultural Landscapes
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| cultural landscape | 文化景观 | wén huà jǐng guān |
| sequent occupance | 承继占用 | chéng jì zhàn yòng |
| ethnic enclaves | 族裔聚居区 | zú yì jù jū qū |
| sense of place | 地方感 | dì fāng gǎn |
| placelessness | 无地方性 | wú dì fāng xìng |
The land tells a story
- The cultural landscape 文化景观 is the visible human imprint on the land.
- Buildings, farms, roads, and signs all record a culture's values.
- Reading the landscape is like reading a culture's diary.
The visible human imprint on the land is the cultural...
The cultural landscape records a culture's values on the land.
Layers of history
- Sequent occupance 承继占用 is the idea that each group leaves a layer on the landscape.
- So a place shows its whole history, from the oldest group to the newest.
- Ethnic enclaves 族裔聚居区 (like a Chinatown) are visible cultural clues.
Sequent occupance means each group that lives in a place leaves a layer on the landscape.
Yes — the landscape shows its whole history, layer by layer.
Select all visible clues in a cultural landscape.
Buildings, names, and worship sites are visible; private thoughts are not.
How a place feels
- Sense of place 地方感 is the unique meaning and feeling people attach to a location.
- Placelessness 无地方性 is when landscapes look the same everywhere (identical malls, chains).
- Globalisation can spread placelessness, erasing local character.
Sense of place or placelessness?
Sort each landscape as showing a strong sense of place or placelessness.
When landscapes look identical everywhere, losing local character, it is called ____.
Placelessness spreads through globalisation and chain landscapes.
Match each term to its meaning.
Sequent occupance = layers; sense of place = unique feeling; placelessness = sameness.
The cultural landscape is not just "scenery". Every farm boundary, street name, and place of worship is evidence of who lives there and what they value. On the exam, read the landscape as data, not decoration.
Walk through a city and you might see an old church, then a newer mosque, then a Chinatown gate. That layering is sequent occupance — each group left its mark. But if the high street is just identical global chains, that is placelessness.
The cultural landscape is the visible human mark on the land. Sequent occupance layers each group's imprint over time; ethnic enclaves are visible clues. Sense of place is a location's unique feeling; placelessness is when everywhere looks the same.